DUBLIN, Ohio — Dozens of players gathered Tuesday for a solemn celebration of the life of Grayson Murray, the PGA Tour winner who took his own life a day after withdrawing from a tournament.
“All of us on the PGA Tour are heavy-hearted and will be for a long time,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said, his voice breaking at times. “When you lose a family member, you can never put all the pieces back together.”
Murray’s parents, his two brothers and his fiancée were not at Memorial Park, a garden below the first tee in Muirfield Village, its rock walls lined with bronze plaques of players who have been honored at the Memorial. over the years.
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Next to the podium was Murray’s golf bag, along with a large framed photo of his reaction to making a 40-foot birdie in a playoff to win the Sony Open in January.
His parents said he committed suicide on May 25, a day after leaving the Colonial course with two holes remaining in the second round of the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Among those who spoke at the celebration was Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, who got to know Murray better earlier in the year, as Murray tried to get his fiancee to become more involved with some of the players’ wives.
They played a nine-hole practice round at The Players Championship, Murray and Chesson Hadley against Scheffler and Sam Burns.
“The look on his face when I gave him $100 on the ninth green is something I’ll remember for a long time because I couldn’t wipe that smile off his face,” Scheffler said. “She certainly loved it here inside the ropes.”
Scheffler referred to him as a “sweet man” on more than one occasion, and he was crying as he walked away from the podium and then buried his head in his wife’s shoulder.
Murray’s death came as a shock to the players, caddies and everyone involved with the tour. He was prodigiously talented as a junior, winning the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky as a rookie. He had also spoken publicly about his struggles with alcoholism and anxiety in the past. Murray spoke at the Sony Open about feeling like a failure for not living up to expectations.
Webb Simpson, who met 8-year-old Murray in his home state of North Carolina, is not at Memorial this year. Another close friend, Russell Henley, read his thoughts.
Jay Green, who started caddying for them the week of the Sony Open, talked about his hopes of buying a Rolex watch if they had a good year. Murray won the Sony Open and bought a Rolex.
For Monahan, Murray’s death was personal.
This week marks one year since the PGA Tour made a secret deal with LIV Golf’s Saudi sponsors, and Murray was front and center at a players’ meeting the afternoon of June 6 to criticize Monahan for making the deal and not tell anyone.
A week later, Monahan was sidelined for more than a month due to anxiety-induced physical and mental issues. During that time away, Monahan turned off his cell phone for a month.
“We had a players meeting in Canada that you all know was intense and heated. Grayson and others were extremely vocal in their displeasure with my decision to keep the membership at heart. The criticism was 100% justified,” Monahan said. .
He said when he finally turned his phone back on during his leave, one of the first text messages he saw was from Murray.
“One line in that text will always stick with me: ‘Jay, I just want you to get better. I know everything is working out for our tour and for the better,'” Monahan said. “He offered me not condemnation but compassion. Instead of walking away from me, he offered to walk with me.
“I will always be grateful for this act of kindness and I am not alone.”
Monahan said similar stories were shared at a private service for Murray and his family on Monday.
The players, along with Memorial founder Jack Nicklaus and his wife Barbara, filled the seats. Tour officials were flanked on the left, with dozens of other players, caddies, team representatives and agents filling the field on the right. More than a hundred spectators watched from a hill above the garden as a bagpipe played “Amazing Grace” at the end.
“I can only offer the assurance that Grayson’s memory will serve as a continuing reminder that the PGA Tour is a brotherhood that transcends competition,” Monahan said. “And our main responsibility is to take care of each other and be kind. I can’t imagine a prouder legacy.”
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